Breaking News

Country House -- the winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby -- will NOT get a shot at the Triple Crown after his owner pulled him from the Preakness because the horse developed a bad cough.

"He developed a little bit of a cough this morning," trainer Bill Mott told the Daily Racing Form.

"His appetite is good. He doesn't have a fever. But he's coughing. We drew blood. He's acting like he's going to get sick. He's off the training list, and if he's off the training list, he's off the Preakness list."

Mott believes the illness is probably a "little viral thing" but he doesn't want to take any chances and feels it's best to pull Country House from the May 18 race.

"Hopefully it doesn't develop into anything serious. Usually when something like this happens, a horse misses a couple weeks of training. He's not seriously sick right now, but he's showing indications that something is going on."

Probably a smart move considering Country House is now set to make a FORTUNE as a stud horse -- and the owners must feel there's not much to gain in running a sick horse in the Preakness.

Country House was named Kentucky Derby winner after Maximum Security was DQ'd for interfering with other horses during the race.

Jason Pierre-Paul's car crash was worse than initially thought -- the Tampa Bay Bucs star reportedly broke his neck in the accident and will likely miss the 2019 season.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... JPP was the driver in a single-car crash in Florida early Thursday morning. He was transported to a local hospital but released a short time later.

Now, ESPN's Adam Schefter says Pierre-Paul fractured his neck in the crash will likely require season-ending surgery. He's currently visiting neck specialists.

As we previously reported, the 30-year-old was not accused of any wrongdoing and he was NOT speeding -- we're told it was merely an accident.

Pierre-Paul is in the middle of a 4-year, $62-million deal with the Bucs, and as a key member of the defense.

This isn't the first time JPP has had an off-field incident -- he infamously had a fireworks accident in 2015, and later returned to the field to perform at a high level.

Cleveland Indians superstar Trevor Bauer says he received death threats after getting rocked in his start Monday night ... claiming one fan told him, "I will kill you."

Bauer -- one of the frontrunners for the AL Cy Young this season -- gave up 10 hits and 8 runs to the White Sox ... and when he returned to the locker room to check his phone, he says it was filled with hate.

"I really hope you and your family die in a car crash," Bauer says one fan wrote.

"I am Chinese. I will kill you," he says another sent him.

Bauer claims one even said, "How do u let white sox smack the sh*t out of u. F**king f**."

Bauer took to Twitter to blast Instagram for allowing the comments to hit his phone afterward, saying, "Stop online harassment, bullying, and hate speech."

"@instagram your platform doesn’t seem to give me a way to report this crap. Do you condone this type of behavior on your platform?"

Bauer's been one of the top pitchers in the MLB this year ... he was 4-1 heading into Monday's start.

"One thing about football is that nobody really cares what you say if you can play."

That's how Richard Sherman views the situation regarding his new 49ers teammate, Nick Bosa -- who's been at the center of controversy over tweets about Donald Trump and Colin Kaepernick.

Remember, back when he was a college student at Ohio State, Bosa referred to Kap as a "clown" -- which is interesting considering Sherman has been a strong supporter of Colin ever since the QB first began taking a knee during the national anthem.

The #2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft also acknowledged scrubbing his social media pages of pro-Trump comments out of fear liberal fans in San Francisco wouldn't embrace him when he was drafted.

Sherman was asked about the situation by the Sacramento Bee -- and essentially said Bosa's views and previous comments won't matter if the guy produces on the field on Sundays.

“It’s not like something where guys are like, ‘Hey man, what about what you said?’ No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can’t play, he won’t be here," Sherman said.

"But at the end of the day, that’s all that matters in football. Is he getting sacks on Sunday? Is he helping our team? Is he being a good teammate? Those are things that matter."

"Now, if he’s a bad teammate, that’s something we’ll address."

The star cornerback also weighed in on possible racial issues in the locker room stemming from Bosa's tweets and comments.

"At the end of the day, I think a guy that has played with African Americans his whole life, not saying he can’t be racist, but they know how to maneuver around African Americans," Sherman said.

Donald Trump has just presented Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- and joked about how the two always remember the good things ... and never the bad.

Tiger was emotional as he accepted the award in front of his family and girlfriend -- and choked back tears as he spoke about his late father.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States -- and is given to people who make an especially great contribution to American society.

Trump had announced Woods would be receiving the award after Tiger won the 2019 Masters in Augusta.

Trump couldn't have been more complimentary to Woods -- hailing the 43-year-old as an extraordinary athlete and "also a great guy."

Trump says Woods inspired millions of Americans with his thrilling victories on the golf course -- including that amazing win at the 2019 Masters ... which Trump described as an "incredible comeback" after all of the physical ailments he's dealt with over the years.

POTUS also said Woods is the embodiment of the American spirit -- "always striving for greatness."

Woods thanked his kids, his mother and his girlfriend -- and shouted out the people who stuck with him through "the good and the bad, the highs and the lows."

Unclear if he was specifically referencing golf -- or his other issues over the years.

Amy Schumer has given birth to her first child ever with her husband, Chris Fischer -- which ends what's been a bumpy pregnancy for the comedian over the past 9 months.

Amy announced the birth Monday, saying she popped overnight around 10:55 PM.

She posted a photo of her, her husband and the new kid on Instagram with the caption ... "10:55 pm last night. Our royal baby was born."

No word on a name yet -- much like Meghan and Harry -- but we're sure that'll come soon. She didn't release the baby's weight stats either.

Like we said -- it's been a rough ride for Amy these past several months, which included multiple episodes of sickness ... and yacking. You'll recall, Amy was even hospitalized at one point for hyperemesis -- aka severe morning sickness -- which forced her to cancel a comedy show.

She was back on her feet shortly after though, but not before hitting the toilet again in a very public way the following month.

We can only imagine she's glad that ride is over. Congrats!!!

Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati turned into a nightmare scene straight out of "My Girl" on Monday ... when a swarm of bees invaded the stadium -- forcing officials to delay the start of the game.

The Reds were gearing up to take on the San Francisco Giants when the bees came ... you can see in photos and video there are THOUSANDS (maybe millions?) of the flying insects on the field.

In one shot captured by NBC Sports Bay Area, you can see just how close the bees came to the Giants dugout. Scary stuff.

At one point, Reds outfielder Derek Dietrich grabbed some beekeeping stuff and charged out on the field -- jokingly trying to help officials get rid of the bees.

No word if it actually helped ... or not. Also, unclear if anyone was stung.

The good news ... officials say the swarm eventually moved on and the game is now underway.

10:53 AM PT -- Michelle Obama is chiming in on the good news too. The former First Lady tweeted her excitement to the new parents, saying she can't wait to meet the new royal bundle.

6:45 AM PT -- Meghan has given birth to a royal baby boy ... 7 lbs., 3 ozs. The palace says the new prince arrived at 5:26 AM Monday, London time.

No name for the little guy, yet. Harry says they're "still thinking about it" ... even though the baby arrived a little late.

Pass the royal baby powder! Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are officially in the home stretch ... she's in labor with their first child.

Buckingham Palace announced Monday the Duchess of Sussex had gone into labor.

Kensington Palace announced in October 2018 Harry and Megs were pregnant. They moved quickly ... the pregnancy news came about 5 months after their star-studded wedding ceremony.

Meghan continued her royal duties as the couple went on tour, but ultimately had to cut back ... especially on-air travel.

When it came to her baby shower ... that was quite a spectacle too. Tons of celeb friends came out in force to shower her with love ... from Amal Clooney to Abigail Spencer.

Because we know you're wondering ... the kiddo will be 7th in line to the throne, right behind Papa Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The new Prince will also bump Prince Andrew -- the second son of Queen Elizabeth -- down a notch.

Story developing ...

People at a Florida nightclub got a HUGE surprise Saturday night -- a 7-foot-1, over 300-pound one to be exact -- 'cause Shaq jumped into a mosh pit with them ... and danced his face off!!

It all went down at Celine in Orlando ... where DJ Diesel serenaded a Cuatro De Mayo crowd with a late-night set.

Shaq broke out his signature beats ... but then took the party one step further -- jumping into a sea of people going insane!!!

The clip's awesome ... clubgoers are hanging all over Shaq -- and he's loving it!!!

Don't worry, no one was injured!!

Of course, Shaq has been spinning the 1s and 2s professionally for several years now ... and has earned all kinds of praise from world famous DJs for his sets.

In fact, Diplo just told TMZ Sports a few months ago he's a huge fan of what Shaq's doing ... saying, "He's great, Shaq Diesel, man. He's killin' it right now. Very heavy music."

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says he will NOT join the team to visit Donald Trump on Thursday ... and several Red Sox players are boycotting with him.

The team was invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to be honored for winning the 2018 World Series -- and it's all set to go down on Thursday -- but Cora says he ain't going.

The 43-year-old issued a statement in Spanish saying he doesn't feel "comfortable" visiting Trump after the way POTUS handled recovery efforts in his native Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane.

"Puerto Rico is very important to me," Cora said ... "Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting. Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane María struck."

"Even though the United States Government has helped, there’s still a long road ahead and that is OUR reality."

"I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence [from the White House] is no different."

"As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House."

Cora said he told Red Sox officials about his decision before informing the media.

Other Red Sox stars who will NOT go to the White House include shortstop Xander Bogaerts, David Price and Mookie Betts.

Trump has hosted a bunch of athletes recently -- including NASCAR champ Joey Logano.

The guy who was suing the Duffer Bros. for allegedly stealing the idea for "Stranger Things" from him is doing a complete 180 and yanking his lawsuit ... right before their trial was set to begin.

Charles Kessler reportedly withdrew his suit against Matt and Ross Duffer Sunday, issuing a statement as well that completely recanted any and all claims of plagiarism he'd made against them over the past year.

His reasoning is a bit odd, as it seems he just realized he had no case against them. Kessler wrote, "After hearing the deposition testimony this week of the legal expert I hired, it is now apparent to me that, whatever I may have believed in the past, my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things."

He added, "Documents from 2010 and 2013 prove that the Duffers independently created their show. As a result, I have withdrawn my claim and I will be making no further comment on this matter."

TMZ broke the story ... Kessler sued the Duffers back in April of last year, alleging that he'd met with them in 2014 to pitch an idea similar to "Stranger Things" but never heard back -- only to see a show incredibly similar to his idea get greenlit by Netflix courtesy of the bros.

He claimed that his 2012 short film "Montauk" was the inspiration for the show, but he never got any credit ... or cash. The Duffers, meanwhile, fired back saying they had documented evidence that they'd been working on "Stranger Things" since at least 2010.

We reviewed some of those documents -- emails that the Duffers were sending back and forth -- and sure enough, it appeared to prove they were, in fact, developing a "Montauk"-like series well before Kessler came into the picture.

Netflix chimed in on the news as well Sunday, saying ... "We are glad to be able to put this baseless lawsuit behind us. As we have said all along, Stranger Things is a ground-breaking original creation by The Duffer Brothers."

The studio continued, "We are proud of this show and of our friends Matt and Ross, whose artistic vision gave life to Stranger Things, and whose passion, imagination and relentless hard work alongside our talented cast and crew made it a wildly successful, award-winning series beloved by viewers around the world."

"Teen Mom 2" just suffered another casualty -- this time in the form of an advertiser -- Greenies pet treats has cut ties with the MTV show.

In a statement Friday, Greenies announced, "We have zero tolerance for animal cruelty and we can now confirm that as a result of this incident, our ads will no longer run during Teen Mom programming."

Greenies joins a mountain of companies who have pulled the plug on their relationship with "Teen Mom." Chipotle, Dove Chocolates, TWIX and Persil ProClean are among some of the brands who have also cut ties.

TMZ broke the story ... "Teen Mom 2" star Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, is under investigation for animal cruelty after he allegedly pummeled and then shot his family dog. Both the local Animal Control and Sheriff's Department is working on the investigation.

Can you spot the G.O.A.T.?!

He's behind the dude in SWAG pink suit!

Check this out ... a bunch of NFL stars are hanging together in Kentucky right now -- gearing up for the Kentucky Derby.

Baker Mayfield's front and center -- with an incognito Tom Brady blending in behind him.

Indianapolis Colts QB Jacoby Brissett -- Tom's former backup -- is in the bottom left ... standing next to Julian Edelman.

Also in the mix ... ex-Patriots' Lonie Paxton and Dan Koppen.

TB12 is a regular at the Derby -- so is his coach, Bill Belichick. Unclear if Bill has made it to Churchill Downs yet.

We already reported L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay is in town with his smokin' hot girlfriend.

Here's Sean McVay and his smoking hot girlfriend to get you ready to horse around this weekend!!

The L.A. Rams head coach and Veronika Khomyn (did we mention she's gorgeous?) are in Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday ... and they're already showin' off their derby drip!!

The Derby is one of the biggest events in sports and gives celebs and athletes an opportunity to flex with their outfits and party all weekend ... and this year will be no different.

Veronika (still hot) put on her floral print dress and a big ass hat for the occasion ... and McBae went with a blue plaid suit. V swaggy.

Remember ... Bob Baffert told us MONTHS AGO who he thought was gonna win the big race tomorrow ... and if you haven't placed your bets yet, we don't know what else we could do to help.

If horses aren't your thing, grab a mint julep and scroll through these great pics.

It's GREAT to be Cam Newton these days ... dude just officially opened up his own cigar shop -- AND he's having another baby!!!

Oh, and his hat game is still as strong as ever!!!!

The Carolina Panthers superstar was out in Atlanta on Thursday flaunting how amazing his life is ... posing with his mom and brother for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for "Fellaship"

It's a bar/lounge/club that's supposed to be awesome -- a cool hangout spot for drinks and cigars ... and Cam's been stoked about it for months.

Newton -- as always -- was dressed to the nines, rockin' an awesome hat and a fitted suit for its official opening ... and the place already looks like a hit, receiving tons of great reviews.

It's just the latest cool moment for the QB ... the NFL superstar's girlfriend announced just hours before the ceremony began that the couple is expecting their fourth child.

Cam's shoulder also seems to be doing better after the offseason surgery ... he had no problems moving around the venue with all his friends and fam.

Stephen Jackson is giving some solid advice to D'Angelo Russell following his weed bust earlier this week ... telling the NBA star to keep his head up and be SMARTER with his pot moving forward.

As we previously reported ... DLo was cited for marijuana possession Wednesday at LaGuardia airport after TSA found a fake can of Arizona iced tea in his checked bag ... with green stashed away in a secret compartment.

Stack is now going to bat for Russell ... essentially saying it's NBD because ganja's practically legal everywhere now, but laws are laws and the young hooper can't be getting in trouble.

"Thinking bout @dloading stay strong kid," Jackson says. "They rather u take man made stuff so they can benefit."

Jackson added, "Gotta be smarter DLo but remember it’s a 'PLANT' not a drug. Facts. Do your homework."

FYI -- Jackson is a big marijuana advocate ... and has teamed up with fellow ex-NBA great Al Harrington's Viola cannabis company to share the benefits of weed as an alternative to prescription pills for pain relief.

Stack says although it's on its way to being legal everywhere, it's still a crime ... "It’s only a prob having it if u successful and black. It’s dam near legal."